Team Fleeting Fire
by 1st Author of Reserve 38
Summary: My memory is gone...I don't know where I came from, why I'm here, or who I am. But hopefully with the help of an extremely good-hearted Vulpix, maybe I can regain what I have lost. Rated M for Language, Violence, Adult Situations.
1. A Blank Slate Gains an Entry

"Uh...where..." I open my eyes slowly, only to meet darkness. There was something on my face, so I reach up and grab at it, or try to; my muscles protested everything I do. "Why..." I swipe at it again, this time catching it. It was wet, but warm. It was a rag. I throw it away and try to sit up, only to fall back in pain. It feels like my back was broken. I grunt and let myself lie back down in peace.

I stare at the ceiling of...wherever I am and then it hits me like a ton of bricks. "...Where am I?" I close my eyes and concentrate. Then another thing hits me. "..._Who_ am I?" I try to go through my memories again. I remember...me...running. A lone Eevee running. But...why was I running? Was I running to someone? Away _from_ someone? And...why can't I remember anything else?

I open my eyes again and roll onto my side, only to be greeted by more pain. I look around the place. Wherever I was, it seemed...nice. The bed I was own was made of packed down straw. There was a fire lit in a stone circle in the middle of the room, and firewood lay in a large pile next to it, but far enough away to not catch. Next to the firewood was a green backpack filled with cans of Pokémon food and bottled water. There was another bed to the left of me and to the right was the mouth of a cave. It was pouring down rain outside. Thunder boomed in the distance.

I stare out the mouth of the cave into the darkness. Only when lightning struck did light flash and I could see. I was in a forest, probably in a cave at the base of a cliff. I try to move again. "...Nn...ahh!" My spine crackes loudly and I roll off the bed. I try to move but my limbs won't listen. I can't breath. I'm paralyzed. I begin to panic, trying to thrash around, but still laying motionless on the stone floor. My lungs begin to burn and my vision crosses. I manage to open my mouth and swallow, then suddenly I regain control of my body. I gasp for air and huff. My chest is heaving and I was trembling.

I refuse to move after I got my breath back, fearing I may go into another attack of...fearing that...that I may hurt myself further. Thunder booms outside and I climb back onto the bed. My throat was dry, but like I said before, I didn't want to move. More thunder boomed and I heard something wet plop onto the stone. I move a bit to look around the room and I see another backpack at the mouth of the cave. It was kicked over to the pile of firewood with the other and lazily slides to a stop.

I look at whoever kicked the pack. All I could see was a black figure walking toward the fire. The closer it got, the clearer it got. It was a Vulpix. Orange-red fur with six red tails, red paws, solid brown eyes, and all soaking wet. It was shivering as well and it tried to shake off the rain, succeeding to a point. It goes over to the pack with the cans of food and grabs one in its mouth. Squeezing the middle of the can, the Vulpix pops one side of the can open and pours the food into a pile near the fire. It tosses the can away to the back of the cave and lies down near the fire, beginning to eat.

I watch the fire-type eat with its back to me. I watch how slowly it took its time with each pellet, how gracefully it moved, even though it was so slight, and how it savored each bite. I move my head a bit and the straw below made a bit of noise. The Vulpix looks up from its food and over at me, where it's eye caught mine. It seemed to smile. "...You're awake." Its voice was soft, sweet, feminine... "How do you feel?"

"...Who are you? Where am I?"

The Vulpix stands up and walks over to the bed I was laying on. She puts a paw on the edge. "I'm Amber. I found you unconscious out in the woods three days ago. So I took you to my cave. You haven't moved from that bed since I brought you here." She smiles. "I'm glad you're awake."

I look around the cave again, then back at Amber. "...Who...Who am..._I_?"

Amber look at me. "What?"

"I...I can't remember anything...I...I don't even know my name." I scan the place again. "...Do you know what happened to me?"

"...I'm sorry, I don't. I only found you and took you here." I buckle and curle as a coughing fit comes over me. Amber puts her paw on my back, trying to calm me. "Are you okay? Here, let me get you some water." Amber left my side and my fit came to a stop. Amber returns with an opened bottle of water in one of her tails. She carefully lets her tail hold the bottle over for me. "Go slowly," she warns.

She pushes the bottle's mouth to mine and I allow any liquid to flow down my throat. After nearly half the bottle was gone, Amber takes it away. "Mah...thank you."

Amber glances at me. "...Your welcome." She looks back at the pile of food she was eating. "...Are you hungry? I've got plenty to last."

I look at her strangely, then smile. "...Ye...yeah." Amber slides her head under my left foreleg and helps me up. We walk slowly to the fire and Amber sets me down. She grabs and opens another can of food and pours it in front of me. I lay down like she did before and she joins me at her own pile. "...Thank you."

Amber nods and begins eating again. I begin as well. Pellet disappears after pellet, and before I know it, we both are done. I feel better now that my gut wasn't empty.

I end up staring into the fire for a bit. "...Amber, can I ask you something?"

"Hmm, yeah?"

"Why have you been so nice to me?"

Amber taps the stone floor. "You were hurt...well, you looked like it. I just had a feeling; I couldn't just leave you. Plus...it's who I am." A silence goes between us. "...Hey, I know you don't know your name...but I have to have something to call you by."

"Yeah?"

"How 'bout...Vee? You know, like Eevee, but just Vee?"

"...Alright," I agree. "Yeah...You can call me Vee." I look at the fire a bit more, then out the mouth of the cave. "...At the moment...I have nowhere to go...no way to know how I got here...I have nothing."

"Your wrong there Vee." I look at Amber, who has a bit of a smile. "You have a friend." I cock my head to one side, making the look on Amber's face shift. "...Right?"

I smile back. "Right." More thunder boomed outside, making me think. "...Hrn...Amber? Why were you out if this storm is raging?"

"You wouldn't know it, but...a lot of the berries from around this area fall very easily under the affects of water. So...I get them while I can, because by the time the storm is over, they're all gone."

"So the backpack?"

"Yeah, is full of berries." Amber shakes out one last time and then stands. "I'm going to bed, you should stay here, at least until the storm passes. You can use the other bed if you want." She yawns. "As for me, I need my sleep. I may have a lot of work tomorrow."

"Work?"

Amber keeps walking but answers. "Yeah, I work." She yawns again. "Maybe I'll tell you in the morning." Amber drops onto her bed and was asleep on contact.

I nod to her and try to stand. I was still weak, but not nearly as bad as I was before. I stand and walk over to the bed Amber offered me. I curl up into a ball and let my tail flow over my eyes. I close them and drift off into sleep.

…

I open my eyes and move my tail out of the way. I look around the cave and recall last night. I saw Amber moving about the cave with some sort of bag around her back, kinda like a saddlebag. There was a badge on it, a pink orb surrounded by white and it had wings. Amber also had on a blue scarf or bandana around her neck. Something about it gave her a more powerful look.

I rise to my feet and find myself at moderately good energy. "Hey, whatcha doing?"

Amber looks up at me and smiles. "Well, good morning. I'm getting ready to see if I have the day off or not." She closes her bag and walks out to the mouth of the cave. It was bright and sunny out, but puddles were everywhere. Amber looks over her shoulder. "You wanna come along?"

"Sure."

Amber nods and begins walking. I follow. As we walk I begin to survey the area. The trees around us were thick, but spaced fairly far apart. This wasn't so much of a wood than a tree covered plain. There was a worn path in the grass that we followed and soon Amber and I were following the curve of the cliff. After nearly sixty seconds, the wood and cliff abruptly stopped and we came to an open field. There was a dirt road and a large sign covered in posters ahead of us.

Amber goes up to the sign and looks over the posters. I follow closely behind her and sit down. "What are you looking for?"

"Job offers," she says nicely. "If I'm lucky I can find a couple offers that need something in the same mystery dungeon."

"Mystery dungeon? What's that?"

Amber looks at me strangely. "You're...completely in the dark, huh?" She resumes looking at the posters. "A mystery dungeon is a mysterious type of...well, dungeon. It can be a cave, a forest," she pauses and looks up, "I've even heard of a few in the clouds." Amber smiles and returns to the posters, and happily picks one off the sign. "Anyway, exploration teams, like mine, go into these dungeons to help other Pokémon, whether it's retrieving an item, going after a lost friend, or taking down an outlaw wanted by the law around here."

I cock my head to one side. "Exploration team?"

"Yeah," Amber continues, "its a group of Pokémon, a group of friends who, well, basically what I just said. They help other Pokémon." She holds up the poster she picked off the board with one paw. I know that with me being an Eevee and having paws like here, I could hold something, but I never knew how we could do that without fingers. "Sometimes," Amber says, showing me the poster, "we get paid."

I nod. "...But if an 'exploration team' is a group, then where's yours?"

"I don't have a group. It's only me. I'm the only member and leader of Team Fleeting Fire."

"Why? Why are you all alone?"

Amber blows a single flame into the air in front of us. It was ragged and flickering. "A lot of Pokémon think that fire is a dangerous thing. It can destroy so many things." The flame calms and solidifies into a small orange ball. "But fire can be a wondrous thing as well. It can create, mend, and save..." I look at the ground and Amber walks past me. "Anyway, I've got a job to do. You should go back to the cave until I get back."

"Wait." I look up and turn around so I could face Amber. She was looking over her shoulder. "Listen Amber, I...don't want to be a burden or anything, you know...with me just waiting for you. So...with me being how I am, with my memory gone, I don't have anywhere to go...So do you think...I could...you know...possibly...join your team?

Amber looks at me...and just stares. Then, she huffs a breath. "...S-sure. It's good to have company...Vee." I smile and walk to her, then we begin to walk down the path. "Let's go, we have a job to do...partner."

"...Partner..."


	2. Successful Venturing

"So Amber," I ask, "where are we going? Who do we need to help?" I don't get an answer, I stop behind Amber as she does and she hands me the paper she took from the sign. I take it and start to read. "Um...let's see here. 'Hello, if you are reading this, then we were successful in getting this message out. We are in need of rescuing right away, me and my teammate have gotten lost in the Chattering Forest and are running very low on items. Please help us.'" I hand Amber the paper. "Do we know who they are?"

"No idea, it was anonymous." She stuffs the paper back into her...I think it was call a wonder bag, and continues forward, flicking her tails. "We should be at the entrance of the Chattering Forest in a few minutes." Amber goes off the dirt road we were following into the thin woods again.

"You, uh, live awful close to this place, huh?"

Amber nods. "Yeah, I do. I don't care, though, I just wanted a place to call my own and I found the cave." Anyways, be careful; we just entered the Chattering Forest. Other Pokémon may attack you here."

"What!? Why?"

Amber turns left and we end up inside a giant tunnel of trees and leaves. "Because they're either bad, scared, or just wanna fight."

I cautiously look around. "...Hmm...I didn't know being on an exploration team would be so dangerous."

"Its not so much dangerous as it is exciting." Amber turns again. I look around and see we're in a large 'room' with two other exits. I look up at the ceiling of tree branches and foliage.

"...Amber, why can we see the sun here?"

"That's a tell-tale sign of a mystery dungeon; most of them have natural ceilings, rooms, and hallways. It's always been like that."

I imagine what it would look like to see a Vulpix in a blue scarf and an Eevee walk out in front of you. Would I want to attack the duo, or run from them, or just ignore them? I shake my head and look forward past Amber. The path before us was clear, no other Pokémon in sight.

Amber turns down a cross section and into another large room. There was an apple on the floor, which she happily grabs and puts in the wonder bag. Go forward a bit. "Um, what are you doing?"

"Picking up an item."

"...You mean 'apple'?"

Amber looks up at me. "Well, yeah, it's an apple. But it's way easier just to call everything items." Amber turns and continues down the large room. I shrug and follow. The room turns into another long hall and a smooth breeze blows through the area. I begin to feel nervous, like something's watching me. Amber, on the other paw, is completely fine. "I think we've gone onto another floor."

"What?" I ask.

"Another floor. In mystery dungeons the place is constantly changing. If we head beck now," Amber turns down one of the openings in the side of the room, "it won't be the same."

I slowly nod to myself. I walk behind Amber a bit longer, maybe about fifteen minutes, and I gather my breath to ask another question. "Hey Amber, you-" I'm interrupted by a loud growl.

Amber stops and looks over her shoulder. "Am I...hungry? No, but are you?"

"...I guess so." My statement is followed by my gut barking at me again.

Amber smiles and begins walking again. "Vee, tell ya what; we'll stop for a break in the next clearing, kay?"

"Sounds good." I look around again, though the narrow hall gives little to look at besides wood and bark and leaves. The forest was eerily silent; no noises other than the rustling leaves and wind. "...Amber, is this forest...normally this creepy?"

Amber turns right down another split. "Eh, depends on what you mean."

"I mean, I've seen no life whatsoever besides us. Is it...is the forest always so deserted?"

Amber walks into another small room and turns around to look at me. "...Come to think of it...no, not always. Some of the time, yeah, but no, not always." Amber plants her rear end in the dirt below and opens her wonder bag. "Here," she says while reaching into the bag with one of her tails, "have a seat and we'll rest a bit."

She tosses me an apple from the bag, though I know it wasn't the one she picked off the ground, 'cause that one was red. The one she tossed me was a bright green. The apple catches me by surprise and it thumps me in the middle of my forehead. It bounced a bit but I let it fall on my muzzle again and sort of held it there, like a Seel with a ball. Amber chuckles and I slowly sit down. I let the apple fall into my paw. "Thanks."

"Mmhmm." Amber scouts over to my side and reaches into her bag again. "...So Vee, had any luck with your memory?"

I'm about to bite into the apple she gave me, but I stop, mouth agape, and think. "...Uh...n-...no, nothing yet."

Amber brings out what looks like a map. "It's alright, it'll happen." She spreads the map open and traces her paw around the lines. "...Mm...Okay."

"What is that?" I bite into my food.

Amber looks up at me. "This is a wonder map. It magically records the paths and turns we're travels in a mystery dungeon. There are also markings, see?" She points to two yellow spots in a square on the paper. "That's us, and any red ones are potential threats."

"...There aren't any red ones."

"Yeah, I know." She rolls it up and sticks it into her bag again. "It also wipes itself clean after we leave, so we can use it again."

I swallow the last of my apple, realizing that I had even eaten the core. "...Magic...is real?"

"Of course," Amber said with a smile. "Magic is everywhere! It in the air, the ground, the mystery dungeons!" Amber looks around and begins to the stand. "Well, come on, let's keep moving."

"Why?" I ask, sort of sounding stupid at the moment.

Amber starts walking, so I start following. "Because...something happens to Pokémon who stay in one area for too long."

"...What happens?"

"It's like you're defeated. All of a sudden, you just faint and your kicked from the dungeon. You'll awake to see you bag has been raided, your money's gone, and you feel terrible."

Amber turns again, and I pause before following her. "...Money..." I take another step before I have to stop and kneel. I close my eyes and clench my teeth as an intense pain shoots up my spine and stick in my head. I think I hear Amber's voice, but the pain is too much. White flashes under my eyelids and I see something, but it seemed to be in black and white. The pain in my head burns and then turns to a dull icy throb. I see...two black figures...they look familiar...

One is tall with red eyes and thick ears, and there are golden glowing rings on it's ears and one in the middle of the its forehead. The one beside it is slightly shorter with blue eyes and a crimson gem sits on its forehead. The open there mouths, which seemed to be just holes filled with white, and speak in unison. "...You must not waste your time playing around."

The one with the gem speaks up. "This land is plentiful, and you need to take responsibility." Its voice was feminine and strong

The other one speaks next, the rings on its ears and forehead glowing bright. "It is time to put aside your childishness and take control." Its voice was masculine and fierce. "...use our fortune wisely and-"

I open my eyes and see Amber's worried face. "Vee! Vee, are you there!? Hey!" She helps me up to my feet. I shake my head, making the pain disappear. "Vee, what happened?"

"I...I saw something...I think it was a chunk of my past." I close my eyes again. "...They said...I can't waste time playing around...that I need to take control..."

Amber pats my back. "Who's 'they'?"

"I saw...two Pokémon...and that's what they said...I need to take control...But control what? I need to take control of what? And...something about a fortune? Money?" I open my eyes and frown. "...Come on Amber, let's...get this done."

"Uh...Er-right." Amber turns around again and starts to move forward. I hesitate a bit, but follow anyway. Who were those two Pokémon? Did I know them? Are they important? Amber's voice shocked me back to reality, even though my trip was so short. "Hey, are you sure you're okay?"

"Huh? Oh, y-yeah, I'm good." The room started to open up and I look past Amber. Nothing to report; just another room. Amber walks to the right and into another hall, me close behind her. I notice how Amber always has her tails up, how her hips seem to have their own way of moving. I shake my head again and keep my eyes down.

"Look!" Amber nearly yells. I look past her again and see another room. In the room were two Pokémon; a Pikachu and an Emolga. The Emolga was laying down and pointing at the ceiling and leaves, while the Pikachu was sitting by it's side. The Pikachu had on a pocket sack around it's waist. "Hey!" Amber yells out. "Hey, you two okay?" She rushes over to their side, and so do I.

I look the two over. The Pikachu's tail was a solid square, so it was male. He seemed tired. The Emolga looked even more exhausted. It looks over at Amber and smiles. "Hey," it said weakly. It's voice was sweet and barely had any wind behind it. She inhales and continues, "Are you here to rescue us?"

"I suppose, did you write this?" Amber pulls out the job offer and hands it to the Pikachu.

He looks it over. "...Yeah, this is us. Oh thank you, we've been in here for two days."

The Emolga on the ground coughs slightly. "We ran out of supplies...we only wanted a nice day out."

Amber started rummaging through her bag. "Don't worry, we're here. Let's get you two out of here." She brought out her badge and held it out. Light began to glow around our feet and the world went whitish-blue. When the light cleared, we were all standing by the signpost that held the job offers.

I frantically look around. "How the hell did you do that!?"

Amber was too busy tending to the Emolga. She brought out an Oran berry. "Here, eat this."

The Emolga happily obeys. After a minute of silence, she stands. "Thank you so much...Can we get the names of our heroes?"

"I'm Amber, and this is Vee. We're Team Fleeting Fire." Amber smiles, but it vanishes as quickly as it appeared. "What were you too doing in the Chattering Forest?"

"Well," the Pikachu started, "Me and my sister here were-"

"Sister?" I ask.

"Yeah, our parents hooked up," he continues. "Anyway, my sister and I were out in the forest for a nice relaxing day of nature." He looks at his feet and his ears fall. "...We didn't know we were in a mystery dungeon." He looks back up and smiles. "But luckily my message got out!"

"And you came to our aid," the Emolga finished.

"Hold on," the Pikachu says. He opens up his bag and fishes around a bit before pulling out a few gold coins...okay, more than a few. "Here, we want you to have this."

Amber holds out her paw and accepts the coins. She counts them and looks up. "Really? Two-thousand Poké? Doesn't that seem a bit much?"

"Oh nonsense," The Pikachu says, "you two deserve it."

"Well, if you say so." Amber puts the money in her bag and smiles. "We're just happy to see you two safe." Amber turns and begins walking. "You two make it home okay."

"Okay, bye!" The Emolga and Pikachu wave and turn. They begin walking the opposite way Amber is. I wave, though they can't see it, and turn. I walk to Amber's side and look up at the sky.

The sky was dark, and it looked like the sun was almost about to go down. We had maybe an hour and a half of light left. We walk in silence for the time being and make it to Amber's cave relatively quick. She sets her bag down near her bed, fishes out the money, and sticks it in a bigger yellow bag that appeared from the side of her bed. I sit down near the fire pit and turn to look out the mouth of the cave. The trees were silent, and the wind was gone. Nothing moved...

I think back to what happened in the forest, what I _saw_. Those two Pokémon...who were they? Who am _I_? I close my eyes and concentrate... … ...I give up about four minutes of nothingness later.

"Hey Vee," Amber's sweet voice calls out, "Are you hungry? Time flies when you're working."

"I'm okay, thanks though." I open my eyes halfway.

Amber comes over and sits down on my left. She bumps her shoulder against mine. I turn my head toward her and look into her solid brown eyes. "Vee? You still thinking about what happened in the forest?" She put her paw on my shoulder, and I could feel the warmth of her body radiate down her leg. "Listen, I know that...that we just became friends, but if you need help, just come to me. I'll be there to listen...to help...okay?"

I smile. "...Okay...thank you."

"It's just part of being a girl." Amber nods at me and then stands. She turns and walks back to the fire pit, and I hear a flame ignite, followed by tall shadows of my shape on the ground before me.

The sun finally set below the tree line, and then the horizon, casting the area into total darkness. All the light left was from the fire, for the sky was clear. I continue to watch my shadow dance on the ground for a while longer... … ...It was weird, the way the shadows interacted. Some grouped together, some fought with each other.

"Vee..." Amber's voice makes me look over my shoulder. Amber was on her bed with her tails protectively covering her side facing me. "...You've been sitting there for hours now. Come to bed, get some rest."

"...Okay, sorry." I stand up and walk over to my bed. I lazily plop down and curl up. "...Good night."

"Good night Vee, see you in a few hours."

I close my eyes and look at the faint spots on the inside of my eyelids before my vision goes completely black from sleep.


End file.
